Dead in the Water
by ClockMaker411
Summary: A darker, more realistic continuation of the HotD manga with one twist - what might happen if Takashi and company hadn't learned about the evacuation taking place at Shintoko Third Elementary? Picks up at the beginning of Act 29, "Dead in the Rain." Rated T for mature themes, violence, and adult situations; rating will go up in later chapters with addition of lemon content.
1. Chapter 1

Dead in the Water, a Highschool of the Dead Lemon Fanfiction by ClockMaker411

Standard Disclaimer: Highschool of the Dead and its characters are not my property. I do not own, nor am I affiliated with the series in any way, shape or form. The following work is derivative, non-commercial fiction. If you're offended by explicit, mature themes, then read on and let me try to change your mind. Lemons to follow in later chapters; rating will be updated accordingly once 18+ material is added.

Author's Note: As the HotD manga has been on hiatus for way too long, I thought I'd try my hand at a continuation. This story follows the manga plotline, so if you've only watched the anime I'd suggest reading that first. It picks up after the gang departs from the police station, but my version of events at the station are somewhat different from what transpired in canon.

Timeline/Continuity Note: If you've only seen the anime, you should pick up the manga starting at Act 18, the beginning of the mall arc. The manga and anime are basically identical until Episode 8/Act 9, after which the primarily divergence is that in the manga, the entire group is rescued by Saya's mom, rather than Saeko and Takashi splitting off and joining a day after. In the manga, the arc between Saeko/Takashi and their night in the temple shrine happens after the group leaves Saya's mansion (in the 8-wheeler ATV, not the Humvee, the latter of which having been fried by the EMP). The impetus behind their separation is essentially the same as in the anime - they use the ATV to lure away and distract 'them', allowing the rest of the group to pass unmolested to their next rendevous point - the mall. Presumably this arc was advanced in the anime to allow enough material to fill out 12 episodes while presenting the finale as the escape from the Takagi estate.

Chapter 1

Takashi Komuro scrubbed at his nose as he closed the door to the cramped, narrow rest room at the back of the ransacked convenience store. The toilet had been none too clean even before the Outbreak had thrown the civilized world into violent upheaval, and the last few days of standing water had done nothing to improve its odor. But he supposed he should consider himself lucky – at least the sewer mains had not backed up, and the toilet was still flushable, albeit only with the liberal addition of a few bottles' worth of mineral water.

By habit, Takashi moved to wipe off his hands on his clothes, but then thought better of it. The dark red shirt he wore beneath his uniform was grimy with sweat and mottled by reddish brown spots that didn't bear thinking about. The uniform had been likewise spattered in congealed blood and dead tissue, unavoidable when dispatching "them", even if the stains were harder to pick out against the tunic's solid black. Rei Miyamoto solved the problem when she wordlessly handed him a few white napkins, which he accepted with a word of thanks and used to dry off his hands.

As he slipped on a pair of black, fingerless gloves, Takashi studied Rei apprehensively, the concern for her clear in his dark eyes. She was leaning back against a small counter supporting a microwave and hot water station, both appliances now rendered useless in the wake of the electromagnetic pulse. The green-accented white blouse of her sailor uniform was likewise spotted with red, though her plaid green short skirt was in slightly better shape. She stood very still, her gaze downcast and distant, arms crossed beneath her breasts as though hugging herself. Her M1A1 battle rifle and his newly acquired Benelli shotgun were propped up against the counter to one side.

"You okay?" Takashi asked quietly.

She raised her head and stared at him, her eyes red-rimmed. "I–, I don't know, Takashi. I don't think I am. There was just _so_ much blood..." She bit her lip, turning her face aside and shivering.

Takashi laid a hand on her shoulder, squeezing lightly. "We don't know for sure that it was his, Rei. Your dad might still be out there, looking for you."

"Do you really believe that?" Her words were bitter. Takashi let his hand drop, softening his tone a bit when he replied.

"Yeah, I do. If he became one of 'them', he would've still been in the station, right? But we cleared the whole building and didn't find him."

"Then how do you explain what we saw? There was blood all over the floor, and there were bloody hand prints on his desk..." She shut her eyes tightly, as if to will away the memory of the gruesome scene.

"Maybe he was injured, but I doubt it. He couldn't have survived losing that much blood, and if that happened, we would've found his body. But I don't think he was bitten either, or he wouldn't have left along with everyone else. I think what happened was that 'they' attacked someone who had gotten into the office, maybe after everyone else had already gone. Then the victim became one of 'them' – maybe the one we killed who'd had its throat torn out. It could've just been coincidence that it happened where it did."

"That's a lot of maybes."

"I guess. But there's another reason why I think he's still alive." She glanced up at him, her red-brown eyes gleaming with a faint spark of hope. "Did your dad keep a picture of you at his desk? In a white frame?"

Rei blinked. "Yeah, of me and my mom. Why?"

Takashi's expression widened into a smile. "You must have overlooked it, since you were kind of upset..." Takashi paused, trying to hide a grimace. Upset had been an understatement – Rei had nearly broken down when they had discovered what had been waiting in the office of the Public Safety Division. Shizuka, Alice, and Kohta had needed to stay with her while Takashi, Saeko, and Saya searched for clues while clearing the rest of the building. "Anyway, I found the frame. And just the frame. The picture was gone, Rei."

As she realized the implication, a wide smile of joy and relief blossomed onto Rei's features, and she exclaimed, "He took it with him! He really might be alive! She launched herself forward and flung her arms around Takashi, crushing him in a fierce hug. "Oh, Takashi," she whispered, "thank you. Thank you." Her breath was warm and ticklish, and her body, an alluring combination of lean muscle and soft curves, melted satisfyingly against the line of his own.

Takashi tried to control his breathing, a task made difficult both by the force of the embrace, and by the growing, insistent desire kindled inside him at her closeness. "We shouldn't lose hope, Rei," he murmured, enfolding her lightly in his arms and stroking her back reassuringly. "God knows we've lost enough already."

But hope was a rather frail thing given the present situation, and although he tried to put on a brave face for Rei and the rest of the group, Takashi had to admit, to himself at least, that he had little left of it within him. What they had found at the police station – or rather, what they had failed to find – had done much to extinguish the few hopes he had clung to ever since the Outbreak had begun. The computers and the communications network had been blacked out, either by the loss of electricity or the EMP. Further, there had been no message, hasty scrawl or otherwise, to suggest any official plan to evacuate the city. That especially had troubled him – if order had broken down so much as to preclude establishing centers for evacuation, then if their search of their homes and his mother's school didn't pan out, then chances of finding their parents in the whole of Tokonosu City were slim to none. Adding to that, the EMP had essentially crippled nearly every means of rapid transportation by vehicle, for either search or escape. The same had also highly reduced the likelihood of outside help, dependent upon the radius of the blast and severity of the Outbreak elsewhere. And lastly, if help from the outside were to come, with no idea where survivors were congregating it would only be by offhand chance that their group might be in the right place to receive it. The wisest course would be to assume that they were, for all intents and purposes, on their own.

Yet for better or for worse, Takashi had been selected as the leader of their band of companions. Though he still sometimes found it odd to be in a position of leadership, he knew that one thing a leader did was to shoulder the burdens of the group, so that others would remain focused and steadfast. And so he would worry about how they were trapped in a labyrinth where danger awaited at every turn, in which one wrong choice or one single misstep might lead to death, or worse. About how what would have previously been a five minute car ride from the store to Rei's house would now be a trek of hours, with adrenaline pumping and tension high, further fraying the weave of the group's mental integrity. He would worry about Kohta snapping again, about Saeko losing herself in her blood lust, about Alice innocently if inadvertently putting herself or the group in danger. And he would worry for the girl in his arms, who was close to collapsing beneath the strain of having lost her boyfriend, and potentially her parents, too.

After a few more seconds of standing there together, Rei loosened her hold around Takashi and took a half step back, her fingers resting lightly on his chest. "Sorry," she said, glancing timidly up at him through thick, dark lashes.

He gave her a slight smile, and let his hands slip to her shoulders again. "It's all right. Feeling better?"

"Yeah, much. Thanks to you." Rei bit her lip, as if mulling something over, then her hands tightened to grip the front of his uniform as she rose on tip toe and brushed her lips softly against the corner of his mouth.

Takashi was so surprised that he almost stepped back, but her hold on him prevented it. "Rei..." he began gently, but her eyes opened and he found himself at a loss for words, staring down at red brown eyes that gazed up at him with captivating intensity. Their mouths were still just a finger's width apart, a fact made readily apparent by the heat of her short breaths against his skin, and as her eyelids drifted hesitantly shut, she closed that distance as well, but not before her tongue flicked out to wet her lips, a prelude to what would doubtless be a deeper, more sensual kiss.

And that was when Alice piped up cheerily, "Onii-chan! Onee-chan! Please use these!" Zeke, at her feet, barked once in punctuation and wagged his tail at Rei, while simultaneously growling daggers at Takashi.

Rei nearly jumped back in sudden surprise, at arm's length in an instant, a rising blush spreading throughout her lightly tanned complexion. Takashi felt his own face suffuse with warmth when he got a look at what Alice was holding in her small hands, arms outstretched – two fist fulls of latex condoms!

"What are you doing with those?!" Rei gasped in equal parts shock, embarrassment, and indignation, and quickly snatched the two strips of condoms from the girl's fingers. "Alice-chan, these aren't for little girls to play with! "

Alice pouted. "I know, but Kohta-chan told me to give them to you. He said it's for protection!"

Takashi nearly choked in laughter at that, but a glare from Rei made him cover up the sound with a deliberate clearing of his throat. "Hirano said that, did he?" he muttered wryly, stretching to look over the row of aisles to where Kohta and Saya were sorting through what looked like a pile of rain coats and ponchos.

"Is this supposed to be some kind of joke?" Rei growled under her breath, but Alice didn't seem to notice.

"Yep! So put them on already!" Alice beamed up at them.

Baffled and his face a furnace, Takashi made himself ask, "Uh, what, right now?"

"Uh huh! Why, don't you know how?"

"I'm pretty sure we can figure it out..." he trailed off, trying to keep himself from laughing.

"Takashi!" Rei scolded, and glared all the harder at the insolent grin he flashed in reply.

"Munchkin!" Saya exclaimed as she rushed hurriedly to join the small group clustered at the back of the store. She had selected a high-necked powder blue raincoat to wear over her clothes, and had a variegated bundle tucked beneath one arm, of presumably more rain gear. Saya took it all in at a glance and seemed to put everything together in a moment, what with Takashi and Rei, both blushing furiously, and the two strips of condoms flashing out of sight as Rei shoved them behind her back. Saya frowned in exaggerated disapproval at Alice and vigorously mussed the little girl's hair, which she bore with a disgruntled pout. "You're causing misunderstandings again!"

"Am not! I gave them to Takashi nii-chan and Rei onee-chan just like Kohta-chan asked!"

Saya smirked at the other two teens over the little girl's head. "Don't get any funny ideas, Takashi," she said slyly, sidling up to him to elbow his ribs, though her eyes were fixed on Rei, who now held the condoms in fists at her sides. She pointed at the two long guns leaning against the counter. "Kohta said we should put them on the gun barrels to make sure they don't get wet."

"Well then. I guess that makes more sense. Rei, mind giving me a hand?" Rei punched him lightly in the arm for that, which made Takashi laugh, but they went to work on the firearms nonetheless.

Saya dropped to a crouch in front of Alice. "Now you! Why don't you go see if Shizuka-sensei needs any help packing the supplies? And take Zeke with you." She scooped up the black and white dog and put him in Alice's arms.

"Okayyy," Alice grumbled, but skipped off to Shizuka all the same.

When Saya rose, Takashi and Rei were just about finished with the condoms. "Got these for you," she said, handing a dark green raincoat to Rei, and a yellow and black windbreaker to Takashi. "Sorry about the color – it was the only thing in your size."

Takashi shrugged the jacket on, testing the fit and range of motion of his arms. The jacket fit oddly over the belt and shoulder rig that Hirano had given him to hold the bulk of his shotgun shells, but Takashi surmised that it would be better not to expose the ammunition pouches to unnecessary moisture. "It'll do. No hood, though. Got a hat?"

"Yeah, a straw one, somewhere back there." She flicked a hand over her shoulder.

"I'll take it – beggars can't be choosers."

Saya tilted her head to indicate the store-room door in the back. "Anything useful in there?"

Rei answered as she zipped up the front of her raincoat. "Just more of the same – candy bars, chips, cup ramen. Bottled drinks, too. I think we have as much as we can carry as it is."

Saya nodded, considering. "If that door's lockable, maybe we should think about piling the rest of the stuff out here, in there. It'd be good to have a supply cache that's somewhat secure."

"You really think that's necessary?" Takashi asked, narrowing his brows. "We've barely seen any other survivors, and none of them were as mobile as we are. Even if we never pass this way again, chances are good that no one will touch any of this stuff."

"Think about it, Takashi. We haven't seen many people because most of them are probably holed up somewhere defensible. But when their food runs out, they'll be out here and scavenging, even if it means going up against 'them'. We weren't the first ones here – half of the store had been looted by the time we got here. Convenience stores like these will be the first hit since they're most numerous and they're not as the larger supermarkets, so they'll dry up quick. We should save what supplies we can."

"It's not right," Rei said, shaking her head. "This food isn't ours. We should just take what we need and leave the rest for anyone else might need it."

Saya scowled. "So what, you're saying you'd starve so you could feed someone you've never even met?"

"I'm saying that we're a lot better off than anyone else alive out there. We've got guns, we've got good fighters. We can take more risks than other groups who aren't as well equipped as we are. I don't think we need to start stockpiling food if it means taking it away from people who already have a harder time getting by."

Snorting, Saya crossed her arms and tossed her head, her pink twin tails whipping back in emphasis. "Altruism is for civilized societies, Rei. Things have changed. Kindness will get you killed now. If we don't plan for the worst, we're not going to last long, no matter how 'awesome' we seem at the moment."

Takashi felt his chest tighten at the memory of a search and retrieval mission that had gone terribly wrong, when a fellow survivor had lost his life in their attempt to secure blood plasma for an elderly woman – a mission that had proved fruitless in the end. Before the girls could say anything further, he interrupted brusquely, "It's a moot point now. We don't have enough time to search for the key, much less move all of that into the back room," he gestured to the foodstuffs on the shelves and strewn about on the floor. We need to get moving if we're going to make it to Rei's place before dusk."

The girls both shuddered at the thought of traveling in the dark, amid streets filled with "them". With the rain deadening sound and barely any light to see by, they might literally become surrounded by mobs of the creatures before they knew they were in any danger.

"Fine," Saya said curtly, "I'll get others ready to go." With a flat look for Takashi and a tight frown for Rei, she turned on her heels and walked away, her PVC raincoat swish-swishing behind her.

After Saya left, Rei looked Takashi up and down, weighing and measuring. Takashi just picked up his shotgun in one hand and offered her the rifle with the other. She spoke only after she had accepted the rifle and settled the straps of the sling over her rain coat.

"You agree with her, don't you?"

Takashi sighed. "Yeah, I guess. You guys made me your leader. So if it comes to choosing between saving ourselves or saving complete strangers, then I'll choose us. Without hesitation."

"So what about our parents? Our family, our friends?"

"As far as I'm concerned they're already part of our group – we just need to link up with them. But others are on their own. We can't be responsible for everyone who's out there and in trouble."

"And that means what – you're not going to try to help anyone else anymore, unless it's someone we know? That isn't like you."

Takashi pulled back slightly on the bolt handle of shotgun to make sure a shell was still chambered, and patted down his pockets to check for the loose shells he kept in easy access. He transferred them from the left coat pocket of his uniform to that of the windbreaker. "If we can save someone without much risk to us, then yeah, I'll do it. But I'm not going to take on hordes of them if it means losing half our group to save one person, or wasting resources for something that's useless in the long term. We're going to have to get used to the fact that we can't save everyone."

Rei remained silent for a long moment, simply looking him in the eyes. He returned the stare calmly. "You've changed," she said at last, "Gotten... darker. Because of the mall?"

Takashi shook his head. "I don't know. I just know that we won't last long unless we start seeing things as they are. She was right about that. Kindness can get you killed out there."

"I don't necessarily agree, but I'll live with your decision. You _are_ our leader, after all." She gave him a slight smile.

It was at that time that Saeko walked up, her choice of rain gear a red trench coat that hugged her curves and suited her admirably. The katana that was her weapon of choice had been belted on over the coat, and she held closed, oriental style red parasol at her right side. Saeko tilted her head, taking in Rei's appearance briefly before turning her attention to Takashi. "Everyone is ready to depart, Takashi. Saya mentioned that we should leave soon as to not be caught out in the dark."

"Yes," Rei spoke up, shouldering in between Takashi and Saeko, "we were just going." Subconsciously she plucked at the green material of her rain slicker, eyeing Saeko's more fashionable trench coat with a slight twinge of envy.

"Very well then, Miyamoto," Saeko replied smoothly, stepping aside and sweeping an arm to invite Rei to pass. Once she did, Saeko put out that hand to stop Takashi, murmuring, "May I have a word with you alone, Takashi?"

Rei turned and scowled, but at a nod from Takashi, she stalked off to join the others at the front of the store.

"What did you want to talk about, Saeko?"

The tip of her red parasol lightly touched the latex condom covering the muzzle device at the end of his shotgun. "What did you do with the rest of these?" she asked with a smile. The nonchalant tone of her voice, coupled with the predatory gleam in her eye, made the question positively wicked.

Takashi swallowed, rather audibly, and blushed to shame two sunsets. "Uh, Rei has them, I think."

"Ah. More's the pity."

"Was that all you wanted to talk about?"

"Hardly." She crossed her arms, the parasol dangling from one hand as she gazed into Takashi's eyes. "I understand that we will be going into your – and Miyamoto's – neighborhood. I would like to take the lead."

"Why? She and I know the area better."

"Yes, but you also know the people. I am unsure whether or not you or she could swiftly do what needs to be done, if we ran into someone you knew who had turned into one of 'them'." Seeing Takashi's face darken, she laid a gloved hand lightly on his arm. "I do not say this to provoke you. But even a single moment's hesitation may mean disaster."

Takashi took a breath to calm himself, thinking about that in earnest. Would he freeze if he recognized one of "them"? Could he bring himself to kill one of "them" who had once been his mother, his father? He gritted his teeth. Maybe she was right. Regardless, it wasn't worth the the risk, when it meant he or someone else might die because of it. He would have to desensitize himself to those thoughts in the future.

"All right, that makes sense. I'll be relying on you again, it seems."

"And you will have me, Takashi. Always."

Her last words sent a shiver up his spine. Surely he wasn't imaging the deeper meaning behind that? "Ah," he said lamely, "Thanks." Takashi took a breath to steady his nerves, then said, "Right. Let's get moving then."

She answered his noncommittal reply with a small, knowing smile, then turned and walked away, the fabric of her red coat rustling lightly behind her. Takashi didn't fail to notice that the coat fit rather snugly over her hips before flaring out in a four piece slitted skirt. He moistened suddenly dry lips, then followed after, a few steps distant. Of all the problems he had before him – fighting for survival, finding his and Rei's parents, getting the hell out of the city – the two, and maybe three young women at his side were by far the most complicated, jumbling his thoughts while seeming totally oblivious of the fact. But there was no time to deal with that now. Hefting his shotgun, he took a moment to focus his mind and square away his thoughts, making ready to face a world filled with 'them'.

End Chapter 1


	2. Chapter 2

Dead in the Water, a Highschool of the Dead Lemon Fanfiction by ClockMaker411

Standard Disclaimer: Highschool of the Dead and its characters are not my property. I do not own, nor am I affiliated with the series in any way, shape or form. The following work is derivative, non-commercial fiction. If you're offended by explicit, mature themes, then read on and let me try to change your mind. Lemons to follow in later chapters; rating will be updated accordingly once 18+ material is added.

Author's Note: As the HotD manga has been on hiatus for way too long, I thought I'd try my hand at a continuation. This story follows the manga plotline, so if you've only watched the anime I'd suggest reading that first.

Chapter 2

Drops of cold, fat raindrops fell unceasingly from the dispassionate gray, late afternoon sky as Takashi and his companions made their way through the spidery, maze-like streets that composed one of Tokonosu City's many residential neighborhoods. On the whole, the houses in this district were small, two-story affairs, with narrow yards and high, bordered walls, clustered in a cheek-by-jowl fashion so that only a few meters separated where one house ended and another began. Taken together with the rain, the tight formation of the houses and the layout of the blocks made for a tactical nightmare. The streets – or more aptly, wide alleyways, as they could only barely accommodate the width of two passing cars – often met at angles rendered blind by the walls of residences, and with houses to obscure the view for any significant distance, one had to risk a broken leg or broken neck in climbing on the wall tops to see what little could be seen.

But most dangerous of all was, by far, the rain. It hadn't rained to any significant degree since before the Outbreak had begun, and by now, Takashi well-knew the perils of fighting against "them" in wet weather.

The effect was threefold. First, and most simply, the moisture made their weapons more slippery and thus much harder to handle with speed and force. Perhaps that issue was also compounded by Takashi's unfamiliarity with the grip style of his new shotgun, switching from the traditional stock of the Ithaca, to the pistol grip, adjustable stock on the Benelli. Regardless, during their first of two encounters with "them" in which fighting had been unavoidable, he had nearly lost hold of the shotgun when he had used it to buffalo one of "them" across the temple.

He had overbalanced himself, and quickly discovered the second pitfall of fighting in the rain – it made one's footing very treacherous, especially when wet concrete was made slicker by the remnants of partly chewed entrails dragged along by one of "them". Its lower half had been missing, the abdominal cavity having been ripped open and feasted upon. After Takashi slipped, he had nearly become the thing's next meal, but at the last moment, he managed to bring his weapon up between them, and while the dead woman snapped its teeth uselessly on the steel action of the shotgun, a near surgical thrust of Saeko's katana behind the thing's ear had ended the threat.

From that point on, Takashi decided to forgo carrying the shotgun in what he took for a tactical stance, only to transition to a melee grip; instead, he held it horizontally in front of him in both hands like a short staff, gripping the tube of the fully extended stock firmly in his right hand and using its angled bottom corner to deal devastating right hooks to heads and necks, followed up as needed by powerful, forward or downward strikes with the breech teeth of the shotgun. After only a few such applications, the condom at the end of his shotgun was showing punctures in several places. When Kohta remarked on it and Takashi suggested "double-bagging" for added durability, both Rei and Saya had given him such a look that he instinctively checked himself for stab wounds or bullet holes; wisely, he refrained from making any further condom jokes after that.

It was during the last moments of their second clash with "them" that the third characteristic of rain battles was revealed, and that was what the rain did with regard to sound. It proved to be a double-edged sword. While the falling rain reduced the overall distance that sounds carried, this worked both ways; the noise that Takashi and company made while fighting was not as noticeable from farther off, but at the same time, the group had little warning before stumbling upon pockets of "them", as the dragging feet and shuffling sounds "they" made were drowned out by the rain. Further, and more consequentially, the constant drone of the rain seemed to hyper-stimulate either the sense of hearing or the sense of heat detection that directed "them" in their hunger; assuming "they" were close enough and within line of sight, say, within fifteen or twenty meters, "they" would stir and approach, even if the only sounds the group made were no louder than a modest snap of fingers.

Apparently the sickening crunch of the shotgun's muzzle into the left orbit of a skull was enough to draw "their" attention. As the former salaryman, its throat torn open, collapsed bonelessly to the asphalt in front of him, Takashi cursed under his breath. They were at the top of a T intersection, and back the way they had come, from the bottom of the T, he spotted the six or seven of "them" that they had passed silently just moments before. Creeping steadily forward.

"There are more up ahead," Saeko said quietly over her shoulder, from her position at the front of the group. "A dozen or so to the left, and slightly fewer to the right. They will be on us in less than a minute." Her breathing was heavy, and though her katana did not waver, its blade shone darkly red in the dimming light. She had angled herself toward the left branch of the T, to take on the brunt of the oncoming attack.

"Too many to handle between just the three of us," Rei added, equally breathless as she darted quick looks behind her to Takashi. Her M1A1 rifle was held out in front of her in a spear stance, bayonet at the ready, covering the street on the right.

"Takashi?" Saya said from behind him, a trace of apprehension in her tone as she fidgeted with the suppressed MP5 slung at her waist. She stood in front of Shizuka and Alice, who sat atop her bike, with Zeke standing sentinel at her feet.

"Should we shoot, Komuro?" Kohta asked, with no small amount of eagerness in his voice; he had already taken a firing position, kneeling with the AR-10 shouldered and his eye tracking a target with the scope's crosshairs. His line of fire followed the same direction as Saeko.

Takashi grimaced. "No, not now. If we get surrounded here, I don't like our chances. We've got to move..." he trailed off, glancing around. "Wait a second." Dark eyes narrowed at the building in the next lot over. "That's old lady Tanaka's house!" He opened the nearest gate and ran to the back of the yard, going immediately to a section of fence that was different from the rest. He pried at its top and after a moment of resistence, the slats of the fence swung downward, as if on a hinge, making a short ramp to the neighboring yard – that of the Tanaka house. "Rei! Find something to bar that gate. Everyone else, through here! Quick!"

"I'll go scout it out!" Alice exclaimed, ducking through on her bike before anyone else could move.

"Munchkin!" Saya hissed, chasing after her through the passageway in the fence. Saeko, Kohta, and Shizuka followed behind, leaving Rei and Takashi to bring up the rear.

"I see two outside, and two in the house!" chirped Alice, just as the tires of her bike slipped in a water puddle and she crashed, her squeal of sudden surprise turning into a high pitched yelp of pain. The noise, coupled with Zeke's frantic but ineffectual barks, attracted the two of "them" in the yard. Alice scrambled back and away on her hands and heels, bumping against the side of the house. Trapped and frozen by fear, "they" closed in on her with deadly, deliberate intent.

"Munchkin! Stay down, and close your eyes!" Saya yelled, ripping open and casting off her raincoat to shoulder the MP5 and flicking the selector to semi with her thumb. Muttering imprecations, she readjusted her sight line, shifting from the useless red dot sight atop the gun to look through the iron sights instead, and opened fire. The shot was muffled somewhat by the suppressor, and took the thing in the chest. No – not just a thing – Takashi knew her!

"That's Mrs. Seto!" Rei gasped behind him, apparently as stunned as he was.

Frustrated, Saya dropped to the ground, going prone, and took aim once again. The second subdued report hit Mrs. Seto's shoulder, and the third, her right hip. "Don't even think about helping!" she reprimanded Kohta, who had moved behind her and had his rifle half-raised, "I'll get it with my next shot!"

"I know you will!" he replied confidently, "You're a genius, Saya!"

"Damn right! I'm the smartest genius EVER!" The submachine gun coughed one last time, and the shot was true: a cloud of red mist exploded behind Mrs. Seto's head, preceded by a neat hole just above her right eyebrow.

In the stillness that followed, Saeko streaked past, a blur of red apparently unimpeded by the uncertain footing afforded by the rain. "No need to trouble yourself further!" she called, tossing her parasol high in the air. The blade of her katana whipped to her left side, then forward in a rising arc, its path delineated in a splash of blood that spattered on the side of the house. The second of "them", whom Takashi thankfully did not know, sank to its knees, its head flopping to one side, now barely attached to its neck by muscle fiber and skin tissue.

The two others, who had been in the house, had broken through the large picture window during the commotion. Before "they" could get to their feet, Saeko was suddenly there, downing one with a vicious back slash that sent a cross-sectional hemisphere of skull, from the occipital bone to the top of the forehead, spinning away and rolling into the grass. She pivoted, the red tails of her trench coat flaring to all sides as she dispatched the second with a swift kick of a booted foot, twisting the thing's head back to nearly 180 degrees, and followed it by a two-handed driving strike of her sword through what had once been its left eye. She paused over the last motionless body, steadying her breathing, and without turning her head, she reached behind her and to one side. The parasol glided gracefully from the sky and into her hand, as if drawn to it by a tether.

"Damn," Takashi drawled, the admiration clear in his voice. As if in afterthought, he was just now bringing his shotgun to bear. The others all seemed similarly impressed, save for one.

"Sheesh," Rei muttered to herself, "what anime did you step out of?"

It was apparently not low enough, as Kohta volunteered, in tones of awe, "A freaking amazing one?" The comment elicited a small smile from Saeko, though it made Saya huff in irritation. "You were awesome too, Saya!" Her sardonically arched eyebrow seemed to convey a sense of "too little, too late," and Kohta nearly fell over himself while trying to appease her ego, even going so far as to exchange her now sodden raincoat with his relatively drier poncho. It ended with Kohta earning a swift kick across the jaw – probably because his nose kept gushing blood when he glimpsed her water-soaked T-shirt, considering the way it clung revealingly to the curves it was supposed to conceal.

"Takashi, if you please?" Saeko murmured, offering him the parasol. He accepted it wordlessly and held it over the two of them as she drew a piece of cloth from a pocket of her trench coat, wiped the blade clean, then sheathed the katana smoothly. "Thank you."

"You were right," he admitted, somewhat sheepishly, as he returned the parasol. "When we recognized one of 'them', we couldn't do anything." Rei tossed her head and looked away, lips compressed into a tight line, expressing her dissatisfaction more clearly than any spoken words. But her hands shook as they held the rifle slung across her body.

Saeko nodded in gracious acquiescence, traces of the former smile still lingering about her clear blue eyes. "It makes me glad, in a way. It means that I am a better judge of your character than I had previously thought."

"Now you, munchkin!" Saya began, rounding on the redheaded girl as she approached and looming authoritatively over her. "Don't go off like that!" she scolded, letting go of her submachine gun and rapping her hard on the head with her knuckles. "You could've gotten hurt!"

"I'm sorry, Saya-ch-!" Alice was interrupted by Saya, who pinched her cheeks fiercely and stretched, "I mean, Saya onee-sama! I just wanted to help out like you do!" Tears began to well at the corners of the small girl's eyes.

"Oh, geez," Saya sighed, relenting a little and pulling Alice into a tight hug. "I get that you want to help, but you gotta be smart about it! You need to plan two steps ahead so you don't back yourself up into a corner!" Alice nodded, stifling her sobs into Saya's waist.

"Oh, now I don't want to ruin the nice mood you have over here," Shizuka said suddenly, her fingers twirling an errant lock of blond hair that had fallen free of the hood of her rain coat, "but we should keep going, shouldn't we? I mean, if we're on this side and the gate comes down, it'd be bad..."

"Yeah, let's get inside." Takashi tilted his head to indicate the second story of the building beside them. "We should be able to see Rei's house from up there, and it'd be good to know what we're up against for once."

"Shall I take the lead again?" Saeko asked, wetting her lips with a sense of anticipation that made him shiver.

"All right. Rei, you're with me, we'll watch the rear. Shizuka-sensei and Alice-chan in the middle as usual – you'll have to leave your bike here for now, Alice-chan. Hirano, Saya, cover the sides, behind Saeko."

Cautiously and with their formation tight, they entered the house.

* * *

"Shit," Takashi cursed under his breath as he studied the street scene below though a pair of military issue binoculars. "Why are there so many of 'them'?"

"See that gate?" Kohta asked, using the scope of his rifle to magnify his view. "It's been chained and padlocked. There must be someone inside the house. I guess 'they' were attracted by whoever's in there."

"Yeah, I saw. Something's not right about it, though. There's one of 'them' inside the yard, too."

Kohta was silent for a moment, swinging the rifle so he get a better look at the yard. Just over the top of the intervening wall, he spotted a barely visible bald pate of sickly gray skin, belonging to one of "them". "Good eye, Komuro. I missed that one."

"What does it matter?" Rei asked angrily from behind them. "We're still going in! My parents _must_ be in there!"

Takashi lowered the binoculars, the same pair they had taken from the mansionette belonging to Shizuka's SAT officer friend, and turned to regard Rei. They were in a small room on the second floor of old lady Tanaka's house, in what was likely a guestroom or spare bedroom. The house had long been abandoned and had fallen into disrepair; a thick layer of dust covered the floor and few fixtures, and every now and then, someone let out a sneeze.

"Give me those." Saya grabbed the binoculars and pushed past Takashi, reclaiming his former position at the window. That meant she was crouching beneath Kohta, who was standing and still peering through the scope of his rifle. She muttered something and elbowed him in the ribs to give herself a bit more breathing room.

Takashi drew Rei into the relative darkness of the outer hallway, allowing Saeko, Shizuka, and Alice, along with Zeke, to file into the small room. "Of course we're going in, Rei, but we need to hash out a plan, first. There are way too many of 'them' out there. We're dead if we make a mistake."

"Look. I know that. But damn it, Takashi, my house is right _there!_" She flung out a hand to point through the doorway. "It's only fifty meters away! I could jump the walls and be there in _minutes!_"

He shook his head. "That's suicide, Rei. It's still raining. You could slip, maybe break an ankle. And we won't be able to see where 'they' are when we're down on the ground. If you jumped over in the wrong spot, you could land smack in the middle of 'them'. It's just too risky. You won't do anyone any good if you get yourself killed."

Exasperated, Rei threw up her hands. "Fine. Go make your plan." She added scathingly, "When decide you have time to help me, I'll be downstairs." But before she could turn away, Takashi grabbed her hand.

"Wait, Rei. Something's not right," he repeated, letting out a tired breath. "If things are worse than we thought... you need to be ready for whatever we find in there."

"Damn it, Takashi, I _don't _want to hear that right now. You're the one who said I shouldn't give up hope! My parents are in there, and they're safe. Now stop keeping me from them! I want go already!" She wrenched her hand away and stalked off, her back rigid with anger. The stairs creaked slightly as she descended to the first floor.

The words stung a bit, but perhaps he deserved them. He knew he should have handled her better, but the day had been incredibly long and especially tiring. For some reason, Rei had grown increasingly irritated with him since leaving the convenience store, and Takashi just couldn't muster enough energy to figure out why. It was particularly confusing considering they had shared another kiss, albeit a chaste one, and had been on the brink of a far less chaste one, before they had been interrupted. He had thought he was finally getting a better grasp of where he stood when it came to her, but the events of the last few hours seemed to turn that theory on its head. Regardless, it was something he could deal with later; for now, he wanted nothing more than to walk over to Rei's house and collapse into sleep. Reality, unfortunatley, proved far less accommodating.

Once Takashi had gathered enough presence of mind to re-enter the spare room, he found Saeko taking her turn with the binoculars, while Saya and Kohta spoke beside the window. Well, to be accurate, Saya was doing most of the talking, punctuating her words with sharp gestures and sharper scowls, while Kohta offered small suggestions to which Saya either laughed mockingly, or cocked a surprised eyebrow consideringly. The former made Kohta redden, whereas the latter made him redden even further.

"Shizuka-sensei," Takashi began, turning to the older woman, "would you mind going downstairs and keeping an eye on Rei? She's a little, uh... emotional, right now."

"Oh, I suppose I can help with that." Shizuka glided past him, shifting the bag of medical supplies that was slung on her shoulder to rest on her hip, so that she could rummage through it with ease. "I know I had some Midol in here somewhere..." Her voice trailed off once she disappeared into the hallway.

Saya broke off her lecture to Kohta to level a flat stare at Takashi, her arms crossed beneath her breasts, a picture of feminine disapproval. "PMS jokes? Really?"

"Hey," Takashi said defensively, "I totally didn't mean it like that."

"Uh-huh. Suuuure."

Confused, Alice swiveled her head between the two of them. "Is Rei-chan going to be okay?"

"That's Rei onee-chan to you!" Alice scrunched up her face as Saya ruffled her hair with the knuckles of one fist. "Don't worry, Munchkin, she'll be fine. I hope."

"Well then, perhaps we might attend to the matter at hand?" Saeko interrupted smoothly, closing the binoculars and handing them to Kohta, who stowed them in his backpack. She leaned back against one edge of the windowsill, her hand resting at ease on the hilt of her sword. "There must be close to a hundred of 'them' out there. A direct approach is... unlikely to succeed."

"I could set up over here, and give you some sniper support, Komuro," Kohta suggested. "Like the time we rescued Alice-chan."

Saya shook her head. "This place isn't defensible, Fatass. 'They' would get in easily and you'd be toast. Besides, how would we escape if you drew even more of 'them' to us? We don't have a Humvee to throw around this time." Kohta deflated somewhat at that, but eventually gave a resigned nod.

"She's right, Hirano," Takashi said, "We're not going to fight our way through on this one."

"So a stealth approach, then?" Saeko mused, turning her head to glance at the view below. Dozens of "them" were milling about listlessly, filling the streets in front of Rei's house. The yards to either side were likewise dense with undead bodies. "Unless the situation's radically different on the far side, I don't see any way of sneaking around them."

"Exactly, which is why we go _above _them." Takashi stepped to the window and pointed at the house to the left of the one in question. "There, the neighboring house. The Itos' place. There's a window right across from Rei's room – with the houses so close, it must be only a meter or two away. We can bridge the gap with a plank or ladder or something. There aren't too many of "them" in the yards between here and there; they're mostly in the area around Rei's house. We go in through the near side, head upstairs, then cross over to Rei's."

"Simple enough I guess," Saya allowed, absently pushing the bridge of her glasses to sit higher on her nose as she thought it over. "Though I don't like the idea of relying on 'a plank or ladder or something' to just be laying around for us to use."

"We'll make do. I'm sure we can figure out something. Anyway it's the best I could come up with on short notice, and we're running out of time. It'll be dark in an hour or so."

"Maybe Rei onee-chan's parents will have something! They can help us!" Alice blinked as the four teenagers exchanged silent looks. "What is it?"

"It's nothing," Saya said dismissively, continuing in a voice of feigned enthusiasm, "and you're right! Maybe they'll have something to help us cross." She crouched down, straightening Alice's rain coat and pulling its hood up to frame the sides of her face. "Anyway, why don't you bring Zeke downstairs and keep watch with Shizuka-sensei and Miyamoto?"

"What? Why? I want to stay here and help with the plan!"

"But Alice-chan, the plan's good to go!" Kohta said with a smile, scooping up the little dog and depositing him in Alice's arms. Zeke had his own small poncho, something that Alice had found in the pet store at the mall. "We'll be leaving soon, so you and Zeke should help Miyamoto and make sure that our way out is clear, okay?"

Alice gave another sour look, but surrendered after only a moment of sullen pouting. "Oh, fine," she grumbled, and together with Zeke, she trotted out of the room.

It was Takashi who eventually broke the silence that followed. "You guys don't think they're alive, either."

Saeko inclined her head briefly. "The front door. It was left slightly ajar. Were there people, I would think the door would be barricaded – or locked, at the very least."

"Like you said, Komuro, one of 'them' was in the yard," Kohta added. "Why risk one walking around inside the gate?"

Saya crossed her arms, her expression grim. "Not just that. Did you see any movement inside, or any light from the windows? I didn't. It's almost dark. But there are no candles, no flashlights. Nothing."

Takashi gritted his teeth, but nodded in concession. "Yeah, I thought that too. But Rei's not going to rest until we find out for ourselves."

"We know, Komuro," Kohta said solemnly. As if by muscle memory his fingers pulled back the charging handle of his rifle, and he checked the chamber before adding, "But hey, we could be wrong and get lucky." He didn't sound as if he believed it, though.

"Regardless of what awaits, your plan is a good one," Saeko conceded. "It poses minimal risk to us, and the way in will serve as our escape route as well. We've managed well enough with far worse in the past."

"Takashi can be surprisingly competent when he applies himself," Saya confided to Saeko in a whisper that could be heard clearly out in the hallway, "but he's lazy when it comes to details." She snorted. "A plank. Or ladder. Or something. I mean, seriously?"

Takashi scowled. "Got a better idea? I'm all ears."

"Oh, but I do. It's only two meters between houses, you said?"

"Or so. I can't say I measured it or anything, but if I had to I could probably jump the gap."

"Oh, sure, and break the window or your neck in the process, drawing 'their' attention and defeating the entire purpose of being stealthy? Sometimes you really can be an idiot." Saya rolled her eyes. "Anyway, you're lucky to have a genius like me with you. Don't you worry about that part – I've got it covered." Takashi raised an eyebrow, but she answered only cryptically. "You'll see when we get there."

"Fine by me." He cast one last look over his shoulder, at the house. Were there more of "them" around than before? Surely that was his imagination. Takashi dismissed the thought. "Now let's move before Rei decides to run off by herself." The others nodded, and together they left the room, moving through the hallway and down the stairs to rejoin the rest of the group and run through the plan.

End Chapter 2


	3. Chapter 3

Dead in the Water, a Highschool of the Dead Lemon Fanfiction by ClockMaker411

Standard Disclaimer: Highschool of the Dead and its characters are not my property. I do not own, nor am I affiliated with the series in any way, shape or form. The following work is derivative, non-commercial fiction. If you're offended by explicit, mature themes, then read on and let me try to change your mind. Lemons to follow in later chapters; rating will be updated accordingly once 18+ material is added.

Timeline Request: As far as I can tell, Takashi & Saeko's arrival at the mall, the mall arc/clinic mission, the exploration of the police station, and the the stop at the convenience store all happen within the same day (Day 5). While reading through the manga I couldn't find any concrete indication of an overnight break between these events, which seems odd as it's a lot to cram into a single day. If you can find something suggesting otherwise, please let me know.

Chapter 3

Half an hour after leaving the Tanaka house, Takashi Komuro was inclined to agree that Saya Takagi was, in point of fact, a genius.

The short trek to the Itos', the property alongside Rei's, had passed without significant incident. Saeko again had taken the lead, and backed by Rei, the pair had effortlessly downed the three of 'them' they had been forced to fight while making their way to the house. Takashi had acted as the wall scout, choosing where to cross, and at Saya's suggestion, he had also remained back to cover the rear; she had forbidden him from taking part in combat unless absolutely necessary, based on their prior discovery that the excess noise of the shotgun's blunt force attacks seemed to attract more of 'them' than the bladed techniques employed by Saeko and Rei. Once they had scaled the final wall surrounding the Itos' western-style home, they were fortunate to find the back door unlocked and the house devoid of 'them', and a few moments of searching had seen the group clustered into the small room opposite Rei's bedroom.

The room had been used as a study: bookshelves lined two walls, and at the window, a pair of comfortable looking chairs were arranged on either side of a chessboard on its own pedestal. On the far side of the room was a desk and table lamp, along with a closed laptop computer.

Despite what Saya had said, Takashi had found himself eyeing the broad surface of the desk and the sides of the shelves to use for the bridge, but they seemed either to short to span the gap, or too flimsy to support the weight of a person. It was disconcerting, as in his quick glance over the yard outside, nothing had stood out that might serve as a plank, nor did he see any ladders.

Saya, though, simply pushed her way past Takashi into the room, took one look at the window to judge the distance, then turned, a satisfied smirk on her face as she pointed to the door through which they had come. "Four-eyes! Bring me that!"

"Um, bring you what?" Kohta asked in puzzlement, looking back at Saya.

"The door! That's our bridge, idiot! Take it off its hinges. You _do_ have a screwdriver, don't you? And get the drill out, too."

"Yeah, they're somewhere in here..." he replied, stripping off his rain coat to get to the backpack he had underneath. He began to dig through it on the floor, and Saya joined him after a moment, muttering caustic words that made Kohta begin to sweat.

Rei came to stand beside Takashi at the window, which he had already raised open. "I think this should work." Running a hand along the windowsill, she added, "It's big enough to fit the door through."

"Seems like it," he said distractedly. "Good thing this house has real doors, though. Wouldn't want to try this using a traditional sliding door."

The focus of his attention was on the window of Rei's bedroom. As he had remembered, there were approximately two meters between the houses. The windows were not directly across from one another, but the very slight angle barely made a difference, and to his relief, hers had been left open just a crack. But what still nagged at him was what he couldn't see through the drawn curtains and the obscuring rain that clung to the window, making the darkness on the other side all but opaque. The house still had not betrayed a single sign of life.

"Listen, Takashi," Rei said in an apologetic voice, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped down your throat back there. It's just... being so close to finding out about my parents – I guess it's got me on edge."

"Don't worry about it. We're all wound pretty tight around here." Not wishing to upset her again, he made no mention of the growing dread he felt over what they would find awaiting them in the house.

A somewhat uncomfortable silence followed, and Takashi stole a glance at Rei from the corner of his eye. She had pushed back her hood, though her light brown hair remained tucked behind her and vanished into the rain coat, acting to frame the edges of her face. Her downcast gaze was hesitant as she absently rubbed one shoulder, trying to restore some feeling where the straps of her rifle's harness were doubtlessly digging in. Every now and then, her lips parted as if on the verge of speaking, but no sound came and she never looked up.

Whatever Rei had intended to say was cut short as Saeko stepped up to the window, arms crossed beneath her breasts, seeming to unconsciously emphasize her figure despite the concealing nature of her red trench coat. Her long black hair fell loosely behind her, nearly to mid-thigh, and was slightly damp from the rain. Her parasol, she had left at the entryway of the Ito house. When she saw that she had Takashi's eye, Saeko inclined her toward Saya and Kohta behind her. Alice had begun to help as well, holding the wood screws as Kohta removed them from the hinge leaves of the door.

"An interesting concept," she said coolly, "but I have doubts on the execution."

"Doubts?" Takashi asked. Rei, too, had turned to Saeko, and her brow twitched with no small amount of irritation at the intrusion.

"Yes. How do we get it in place? We won't be able to support it solely from one side – it's too heavy, and it isn't long enough to offer adequate leverage."

Takashi considered the question for a moment. "What if we propped it vertically on the ledge, then tipped it over?" He made a falling tree gesture with his hand. "Problem solved, instant bridge."

Rei shook her head. "Wouldn't that be too loud? It'd attract 'them' when it hit the other side."

Saeko nodded. "There's also the chance that it might twist or land at the wrong angle, and we could drop it entirely."

Saya snorted loudly, drawing all three pairs of eyes. She now knelt by the door, which had been taken out of the doorway. Kohta, with Shizuka's help, had maneuvered it so it lay propped on its longer side against one of the bookshelves. The mechanical drill dangled idly in her fingers, and a smug smile split her face as she regarded the three by the window.

"Thought of that finally, did you?" Saya purred, rising to her feet, content as a cat with cream, "Well, I've already figured out that part, too." She turned to Kohta and held out her other hand, empty palm up. "Rope."

"Don't have any."

Saya was caught utterly by surprise, golden brown eyes widening with shock, rapidly displaced by outrage. "What?!" she barked, poking a stiff finger into Kohta's chest, "How could you _not_ have rope?! It's one of the most useful things to have around! Heroes in movies _always _have rope with them, and they always end up needing it!"

Kohta backed away, his hands held up defensively. "But it's heavy, and takes up a lot of space... and since we haven't done any real climbing, I didn't think to bring any..." His weak protests trailed off as Saya's frown deepened; she had stopped jabbing him with her finger after she had backed him up against the wall, and instead, she hefted the drill in her other hand contemplatively. The dangerous look flashing behind her glasses left no doubt as to what, or whom, she would be using the drill on next.

"Wait! If you just need to tie something, wouldn't paracord be fine?"

Saya paused, cocking her head. "Paracord?"

"Yeah," Kohta breathed, relaxing a little as the glare holding him in place tempered somewhat and Saya slowly lowered the hand drill. "I found some at the mansionette; it's in my pack. It was originally used for parachute lines by American paratroopers during World War II, but because it was so versatile, just about every branch of the military uses it nowadays as an all-purpose lightweight rope or cord. If you had enough you could even braid it together as climbing rope!"

"Let's see it." Kohta scrambled to the backpack and within moments pulled out a wrist-thick bundle of lashed, dark green cord, the actual line around four to five millimeters in diameter. Saya looked at it critically, finding one end and rolling it between thumb and forefinger. "What kind of tensile strength are we talking about?"

"Umm, it's rated for 550 pounds, so 250 kilos?"

Saya seemed pleased by his answer, and her contented smile from earlier returned with renewed energy. "It'll work. Good going, Kohta, I guess I won't have to kill you after all." She tossed the bundle into Kohta's chest. "Cut some. Four pieces, around four meters each." He swiftly got to work on the cord, measuring it against the length of the door and severing it with a small folding knife. The cut ends, he melted together with the lighter taken from Alice, so that the cord would not separate.

Takashi narrowed his eyes at Saya. "Rope will help how, exactly? If your plan is to use a grappling hook and make me swing to the other side, let's stop right now so I can go look for a ladder."

Saya sniffed contemptuously at the suggestion, then pointed a finger at one corner of the door. "Do you think I made those for decoration?" A neat hole had been drilled through the wood in each corner, perhaps four or five centimeters from either edge. "That's how we'll get the leverage to keep it horizontal.

Saeko seemed to grasped the idea immediately, a slight smile curving her lips; Takashi and Rei were not far behind in realizing the implication. "I'm impressed, Saya," he said, rubbing his chin, "that's actually pretty clever!"

"Would you expect any less from a genius?" Saya preened. At a puzzled look from Shizuka and Alice, she elaborated. "We'll support the weight of the far side using the cord, tied to the corners, and angled toward the top of the window. That way we'll be able to push the door out and reach the other side without losing control of it or making too much noise."

"But why make holes in the bottom too?" Rei asked, gesturing with a hand to the far side of the door. "We'll be pushing that end, right?"

Saya grinned. "It's to support the other side the same way, when we pull the bridge into your room. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not let my way out get blown away by the wind. If the weather clears up, we could also leave it drawn up halfway, kind of like a castle's drawbridge."

"Good call," Kohta commended as he tied the cut lengths of paracord to the door's corners with quick bowline knots. "It'll be quick to lower, but nothing from the other side can mess with it. You've really thought this through, Saya."

She grinned. "Why thank you, Fatty." Saya shot a victorious look over at Takashi, then asked with a cocked eyebrow, "Better than a plank or ladder or something?"

Takashi bowed his head, conceding defeat. "Much better. Now let's get this thing across."

* * *

For Takashi, the uplifted mood upon successfully deploying the bridge was thoroughly crushed beneath the cold reality of their situation as he found himself crawling on hands and knees across a slippery, narrow piece of wood suspended over a five meter drop, at whose bottom waited no fewer than two dozen of 'them', any one of which would be more than willing to tear him to bloody ribbons should he be "lucky" enough to survive a fall. Further still, what lay hidden behind the window before him might very well trigger a mental breakdown in one of the members of their group; the increasing number of 'them' that he saw on Rei's side of the dividing wall beneath him seemed to point toward that conclusion with greater certainty. He now saw four animate corpses, though thankfully none of which he recognized – the old, bald man he had spotted with the binoculars, who had a ragged hole from one cheek down to its chin, exposing teeth and jawbone; a pair of young women, perhaps only a few years older than he when they died, one missing its left arm from the elbow down, the other with a gaping void where the left part of its right thigh had been; and a child, younger than Alice, who pulled itself around on its hands, as both its feet had been gnawed on, exposing white, wet bones still held together with semi-transparent ligaments.

Takashi turned his attention back to the task at hand; early on they had found out the hard way that looking too closely at 'them' was a fast way to empty one's stomach. When he reached the window to Rei's bedroom, he cleared away the beads of rain from the glass using the sleeve of his windbreaker, then quickly looked in through cupped hands. The interior of the room was dark, but by the fading twilight of the evening he was able to determine that it remained empty; "they" were not ones for subtlety in that regard. Acting carefully, he wedged his fingers beneath the lower edge of the window and slowly eased it upward. Its craftsmanship was good, and it made barely a creak as he opened it as wide as it would go.

Shifting his body slightly, Takashi signaled to Rei, who waited in the study behind him. Their order had been decided beforehand; Takashi would enter first, followed by Rei and Saeko, then Shizuka, Alice, and Zeke, with Saya and Kohta as the last to cross. Before climbing through the far window, Rei slid over the Benelli; although he knew that the room inside was clear, it still felt reassuring to have a weapon in his hands again. It was another small change among many that now seemed perfectly sensible and had become second nature, the world being what it now was.

Getting through the bedroom window without making an undue amount of noise proved to be a challenge of its own. Directly beneath the window was a chest of drawers, its top adorned with a miscellany of small personal items – tubes, vials, bottles, and jars of makeup, two small boxes for jewelery and other odds and ends, and _three_ hairbrushes – all of which Takashi had to move aside to make enough room to pass. Then he had wriggle through the window and over the dresser, supporting the weight of his upper body with outstretched arms, the shotgun still in his hands. Once his legs were far enough inside, he tucked his head and shoulder beneath him in a tactical roll to complete his entry, and managed to pull it off rather well, shouldering the shotgun dramatically in a kneeling position at the end of the move – except that, somewhere along the way, the shotgun's breech teeth had caught on a snatch of fabric, and Takashi came up to find a pair of white string panties dangling from the muzzle of his weapon.

He plucked them off with thumb and forefinger sheepishly, and of course, that happened to be when Rei popped her head through the open window, showing more foresight than he in that in addition to her rifle, she also had Alice's flashlight in hand. The light illuminated Takashi within, making him squint and drop the panties. "Just what the hell are you doing?" she growled in a low, exasperated voice.

"Uhh... It sort of, just, happened." With the glare of the light, he couldn't see her expression, but he hardly needed to: the waves of disapproval emanating from her were nearly palpable. "Ugh, nevermind," he said with a small sigh. "You caught me at a bad time."

The flashlight wavered. "Whatever, you perv. Help me through and I'll forget what I just saw."

He did, propping his shotgun against the side of her bed, to be joined by her rifle a moment later when she passed it through ahead of her. As it turned out, the quickest and quietest way to go through a waist-high window was to do so on your back; Rei turned over so that she stared at the ceiling, and Takashi locked his elbows beneath her arms and pulled her all the way inside, lifting her up just enough so that she could get her legs beneath her.

Takashi maintained his grip after she was back on her feet, holding her in place. "Rei," he said into her ear in a kind, patient voice, "I know you want to go look for your parents, but we don't know what's behind that door. We have to stay quiet, and wait for the others first, okay?"

She tensed noticeably in his arms, but after a moment, her body relaxed somewhat, leaning back into his. "Okay, Takashi. I'll wait."

"Thanks." Takashi released his hold on her, and after she had stripped off her gloves and hung up her rain coat to dry, she contented herself with sitting atop her bed, the flashlight wandering idly along the pieces of furniture in the room.

"Just like I left it on the morning of the outbreak, ages ago." Takashi sympathized with her. Had it really only been five days since all of this had begun? He could barely remember the last time he had seen his home, or his parents.

The glum thoughts were pushed from his mind when Saeko put her head into the room via the window, and Takashi likewise drew her inside, but not before she murmured a sly remark on his forwardness about "getting her on her back" that made his ears burn. Shizuka followed, and she insisted that he wrap his arms around her waist, or more accurately, beneath her breasts, and _that_ unique experience made him inordinately grateful that the low light of the evening hid the crimson mask that was his face. Alice and Zeke scampered across, and she was so small and light that she could crawl through without a hitch and ended up hanging from Takashi's arm when he helped her down from the dresser. Saya took his aid as no more than her due, waiting for Takashi to settle her to her feet and brush the rain off her poncho before she turned and gave him a curt nod of thanks. Kohta took the longest of all, having to send through his backpack and his AR-10, then insisting on wriggling inside the same way Takashi had, although he skipped the combat roll and allowed Takashi to help him up when he was fully inside.

Once Kohta was on his feet, Rei sprang up from the bed and rushed to swing open the door, any thoughts of precaution thrown to the wind. Thankfully she had the presence of mind to hang onto the doorknob, and so it didn't slam into the wall. As she leveled her flashlight though, she stiffened visibly, remaining perfectly still except for the arm that held the light; it wavered, a trembling circle of white drawing every eye to the bloody, smeared hand print that shone black as pitch on the far side of the hallway.

It was Rei's piteous voice that broke the silence that followed. "No..." she breathed in a low whimper, a child's lament, "no, no, no..." Like a wire stretched to its breaking point, the tension holding her body rigid suddenly snapped, Rei sinking bonelessly to her knees, repeating that single word over and over. She still clutched the flashlight, and its beam remained morbidly fixed upon the indelible stain on the wall.

As if her collapse were a cue, the others began to move. Shizuka went to Rei, relieving her of the light and helping her to her feet, just long enough to bring her to sit at the edge of the bed. Having already taken off her rain coat, the older woman cradled Rei's head into her bosom, making soothing sounds when she began to weep silently, her body racked by shuddering, stifled cries. Alice gave what comfort she could, holding Rei's larger hand in both of hers after pushing Zeke's warm, furred form into Rei's lap. Alice herself seemed on the verge of tears, but held them in with a grave, doleful seriousness that only the very young can fully convey.

Saeko touched Takashi lightly on the arm, drawing him to the far side of the room, closer to the opened door. She motioned for him to stay there, then put her head out through the doorway, looking up and down the hall, before closing it quietly and returning to stand before him. "I haven't see any yet, but if 'they' are inside, we need to check the other rooms," she said in a calm but not unkind voice.

"Yeah." He paused, looking at Rei on the bed, feeling torn between the desire to go and comfort her, and his responsibilities as the leader of their group, one of the forefronts being to ensure the group's safety. It was duty that won out in that argument, but not because of any greater, nobler justification; in truth, Takashi felt guilty and ashamed, having inspired Rei to hold onto hope despite having none himself, then changing his stance and callously asking her to prepare for the worst when things looked dire. If she went to him now, Takashi feared that he honestly wouldn't know what to say, or what to do, and it would serve only to upset her further.

He shook his head as if to clear it of those worries, returning his attention to Saeko. "Okay. You, me, and Hirano?" She nodded. "Will you be okay with fighting in the dark?"

"Not a concern, though I'll be at a slight disadvantage in tight spaces." A gloved hand plucked at the material of her coat. "Help me take this off?" She pulled on one tail of the knotted bow at her hip, unfastening it, then turned around so that Takashi could help her out of the trench coat. It caught a bit on the katana at her side; the separate panels of skirt allowed her to wear the scabbard outside of her coat, while still buckling it securely around her waist beneath the garment. Once he had set it hanging in Rei's closet, Saeko drew the Beretta from the holster on her thigh, proffering it to him. "You can spot for me. It has a flashlight attachment that still works."

Takashi examined the handgun; it had a tactical light mounted on a rail beneath the barrel, and with a bit of fumbling, he located the switch. It was surprisingly bright considering how small the light was, and Kohta had to lift an arm to shield his eyes when Takashi located him with it. "Come here for a second, Hirano."

"Don't point that at me!" Kohta said with horror, the blood draining from his face when his eyes adjusted and spotted the source of the light. Abashed, Takashi lowered the pistol so that the beam lit the floor, and Kohta nervously walked over. "You've got to learn not to do that!"

"My bad. I wasn't thinking." Takashi handed the pistol to Kohta, who pulled back the slide part way and checked the chamber. He breathed a sigh of relief upon finding it empty. "Can you show me how to use that thing?"

"Sure. Do you want the long version or the short?" He maneuvered the pistol familiarly in his hands, releasing the magazine and checking the rounds within before reinserting it and clicking on the safety.

"Short for now, I guess – explain the rest later, after we're secure."

"No problem." He pulled back the slide and released it, chambering a round, then decocked the hammer with the safety but left it in the "fire" position. "It's loaded now. Pull the trigger to fire. For the first shot, the trigger pull will be long, but after that they'll be pretty short and crisp, so watch out for it. You've got fifteen rounds in a magazine. When you're out, the slide will lock back, so you'll need to drop the mag by pushing this button," he pointed at a small button on the left side of the frame, where the trigger guard met the grip, "put in a fresh one, then push down this lever here with your thumb." He indicated a rectangular tab on the left side of the frame, above the forward corner of the grip panel. "That'll release the slide and it'll spring forward again. If you forget, you can also just pull the slide fully to the rear and let it go – it does the same thing."

"All right, I think I got it. Hirano, you and I will check every room with Saeko. Then we'll take care of the four of 'them' in the yard." Kohta gave a grim nod of confirmation.

"Hold up a sec, you three." Saya crossed the room to them, whipping her poncho over one shoulder so she could unsling the submachine gun at her side. "Fatty, take this. I'd go deaf if you shot that cannon of yours indoors, and we'd end up with more of 'them' trying to get in. Better chance that none of the ones outside will hear if you use this. And it has a light, too."

"Are you sure?" he asked, half reluctant, half excited to trade his AR-10 for her MP5. He gushed over the weapon, similarly checking chamber and making sure the safety was on before activating the light in the foregrip. For her part, Saya seemed surprised by the weight of the rifle she received in exchange, nearly dropping it before she set it down carefully on its buttstock to lean against the wall.

"Yeah. I'd come with, but I don't know the first thing about shooting in close quarters. I bet you've practiced stuff like this before, haven't you?"

Kohta blushed, scratching his nose absently. "You could say that. I ran through a CQB course a few times while training in America." His expression was at the same time both guilty and pleased, an interesting combination that made Saya smirk.

"Figures. Get to it, then. Oh, and Takashi, I'll be holding onto your shotgun. Remember to knock before opening the door if you want to stay in one piece."

Takashi smiled, but the expression lacked any real mirth. "I'll try not to forget." He cocked his head in a gesture to gather up Saeko and Kohta, then turned toward the door.

"Takashi, you're leaving...?"

The quiet desperation of Rei's voice stopped Takashi in mid-stride, and he willed himself to turn to face her. Shizuka had put an arm around her shoulders, while Alice at some point had shed her raincoat and kicked off her shoes, and was curled up on the bed with her head in Rei's lap, Zeke cuddled in her arms, both apparently asleep. But it was Rei herself who drew him in; the fragile, delicate expression on her features made his chest tighten when he saw it, from her quivering, red-rimmed eyes, to her tear stained cheeks, and her half parted lips, trembling with uncertainty, as she waited on his reply.

"No," he found himself whispering softly in the silence of the room, "I'll stay." Walking slowly forward, Takashi offered the butt of the Beretta to Saya as he passed her, who accepted it with a slight nod. Together with Saeko and Kohta, she left the room, closing the door quietly behind her.

He took Shizuka's place, and Rei leaned into him, her cheek pressed to his shoulder. Shizuka occupied herself by gathering up the sleeping Alice, and by extension, Zeke, and settling them properly on the bed so that he and Rei could have a bit of privacy. But neither spoke, and Takashi simply lent what support his presence might offer, with an arm around her shaking shoulders while she squeezed his other hand in both of hers. The shotgun was still propped upright against the bed by her night stand, as if in constant vigil even as she mourned, and he comforted her in her grief.

Takashi didn't know how much time had passed – perhaps ten minutes, perhaps a half hour – but eventually he heard a soft knock, followed by the door opening and Saya ducking her head in.

"Takashi," she said in an urgent whisper, "I think you need to see this."

"You... found them?" he asked quietly, and Rei's tightened her grip until his hand started to hurt.

"We found two of 'them', but I don't..." she stopped herself, shaking her head irritatedly, her pink twin tails swaying. "Ugh, I don't want to explain it. Just come with me for a second!"

"All right," he said, and murmured more softly to Rei, "I'll be right back, okay?" He raised is head. "Shizuka-sensei, can you sit with her?" It took a few moments to loosen her grip on his hand, but eventually he extracted himself, though Rei did give him a sullen look as he went.

"Just two?" Takashi asked after closing the door and following Saya, who walked quickly toward the far end of the hallway, to a door directly opposite the staircase that led down to the first floor.

"Yeah, just two inside the house, anyway. They were in the master bedroom." The ambient light around the beam of her pistol was enough to illuminate the side of the hall, where Takashi could see more smeared blood leading in a trail toward the far door, as if someone had supported themselves on the wall while stumbling down the hallway. "Saeko and Kohta are taking care of the ones outside. Here are the ones I want you to look at."

Saya swung the far door open and moved inside, Takashi following a few steps behind. Her light shone on two bodies that had been laid out on the floor, their limbs straightened after death - what had once been a man and a woman. The man had the remnants of a tattered, bloody bandage around his right hand, and the woman was missing a chunk of flesh from her shoulder. Saeko, it seemed, had shown more respect for these two than the others that they had encountered; the wounds that had put them down for the second time were identical, precise strikes beneath the jaw and through the top of the skull.

When he saw them – really saw them – Takashi's eyes widened and he pivoted, darting back through through the hallway to the room and bursting through the door, startling Shizuka and Rei who looked up in sudden surprise. He crossed the intervening distance in an instant, kneeling in front of Rei and grabbing her shoulders, staring straight into her red brown eyes as he said in breathless excitement, "Rei, it isn't them! Your parents _aren't _here!"

Shock faded into confusion and doubt, along with a tiny flicker of what might have been hope – something that made Takashi's heart swell when he saw it. "Wait, what?" she asked in a hesitant, quavering voice, "You're sure...?" Her hands clung to his upper arms as if they were her only support, squeezing hard, but he didn't mind.

"Absolutely."

"I don't understand. Then who...?"

"The Arakis'. They must have come looking for your father, or maybe they broke in thinking he'd have weapons here. Mr. Araki was bitten. I guess he turned and bit Mrs. Araki when she tried to dress his wound."

"Oh thank god," she breathed in relief, leaning forward to slip her arms around his upper body as he accepted her in a tight embrace. "I mean, I feel bad that they're dead, but..." Her words trailed off when he shushed her, stroking her hair with one hand as the other soothingly massaged the back of her neck.

"I get it," he murmured softly, "we've got to take our victories where we can." Rei made a sound of what might have been agreement, nuzzling a cheek lightly against the side of his neck.

Shizuka, who had remained silent the entire time, caught Takashi's eye and offered him a warm smile. She rose slowly, whispering something into his ear before slipping out of the room.

"What did she say?" Rei asked, as the door shut behind the departing nurse.

"I'll tell you later. It wasn't important." He squeezed her shoulders reassuringly "Are you going to be okay?"

"Yeah. But let me stay like this for a while longer?"

"All right."

Takashi held her close in the stillness that followed, a sweet silence that settled serenely over the room, accompanied only by the susurrous sighs of breathing and the rhythmic thrum of heartbeats, content in the knowledge that despite what had happen out in the world, or how brutal and violent things might yet become, there were still moments like these that made it all bearable, and there were still people, loved ones, to give him the strength of will and the strength of purpose to keep on fighting.

End Chapter 3

Author's Note: I'm not sure when I'll be putting out the next chapter, but it will likely include lemon content. To be honest, though, I'm a little discouraged by the lackluster reception of this fic; not sure if it's the nature of the fandom, or my premise or writing style or whatnot. Anyway, if you'd like me to continue please leave some feedback and/or constructive criticism! I don't bite, and if I did, you wouldn't turn into a zombie, promise! Writers need motivation too!


	4. Chapter 4

Dead in the Water, a Highschool of the Dead Lemon Fanfiction by ClockMaker411

Standard Disclaimer: Highschool of the Dead and its characters are not my property. I do not own, nor am I affiliated with the series in any way, shape or form. The following work is derivative, non-commercial fiction. If you're offended by explicit, mature themes, then read on and let me try to change your mind. Lemons to follow in later chapters; rating will be updated accordingly once 18+ material is added.

Author's Note: Unfortunately I haven't gotten to the lemon scene yet, so it will be featured in the next chapter. To think, story content prioritized over sex scenes?! What's the world coming to?

Chapter 4

It was well past full dark by the time Takashi left Rei's room and descended the stairs to the first floor of the house. Exhausted as they both had felt, it hadn't taken much convincing to get her to change clothes and curl up in the bed around Alice and Zeke. Keeping his eyes shut, though, proved to be much more difficult, at least where his willpower was concerned; he had held the flashlight for her while she stripped off her uniform and skirt, then slipped into a set of sheer pajamas. Each soft rustle of clothing over her skin, followed by the quiet sigh of fabric falling to the carpeted floor, had pricked his ears to strained attention, giving rise to the naggingly persistent thought that, standing behind the light source as he was, she wouldn't be able to tell if he peeked anyway. But he had managed to preserve her modesty, keeping his impulses at bay until she had finished getting dressed, and after tucking her into bed and waiting the few minutes needed for sleep to take her, he had crept out of her bedroom and down the stairs.

Takashi found Saya and Kohta in the living room, standing close together amidst the flickering light of a half dozen small candles. He paused, leaning against one side of the entryway, remaining unnoticed in the darkness as he watched them. It might have been mistaken for a romantic scene, what with the two within arms reach of one another, but for the suppressed submachine gun in Saya's hands, held in an at rest position in front of her as she examined it critically. Strangely, she was barefoot and looked freshly scrubbed, her pink hair pulled in a damp tail over one shoulder, and she had donned her night clothes as well – a clinging, light green tank top and a pair of lavender pajama shorts. Like Takashi, Kohta had taken off the coat of his uniform, but still wore its black slacks and a T-shirt.

"Better now?" Kohta asked from beside her. An expectant smile flickered along his face as he looked at Saya, apparently quite pleased. There was a set of hex wrenches in his right hand and something black in his left, which Takashi couldn't quite make out in the dim light.

"Yeah, much better." It was then that Takashi picked up on what was different about the gun; the red dot sight that had been mounted on top had been removed, and was presumably now in Kohta's hand. "We should've done this at the police station, since electronic sights won't work anyway."

"Sorry," he said, stowing the wrenches and the red dot sight in his pack on the floor. "I've been meaning to, but with all that's happened I never got the chance."

"Don't worry about it," she replied absently, bringing the weapon to her shoulder and swiveling her line of fire in a narrow arc, as if tracking an imaginary target. "So I'll be able to hit what I aim at, like this? On the first shot, I mean."

"In theory, yes. Your posture could use a little work, though."

"Hmph." She eyed Kohta narrowly, then lowered the weapon. "Teach me."

"Gladly," Kohta said, beaming. "First, give me the magazine and make sure the chamber's empty." She did so, drawing the curved magazine from the bottom of the weapon and handing it to him, then pulling back on the cocking handle – all done a bit more competently than Takashi would've managed under similar circumstances. Perhaps they had been practicing before he had showed up. "Stand like this," Kohta continued, and Saya did as he instructed, "feet shoulder-width apart, with your left foot a little forward, your center of gravity low, knees over toes, and balanced on the balls of your feet. Square your upper body toward your target. Shoulder the gun, drop your cheek down onto the stock, and keep your elbow in tight to your side. Your offhand should be comfortable, but try to keep that arm close to your body – hold the weapon here, in front of the magazine well. Line up the target through the sights, and squeeze the trigger."

After a moment, the gun clacked loudly in the quiet of the room. "How was that?" She lifted her head.

"Better, but not there yet. You need to tweak your stance a bit." His complexion reddened and opened and closed his mouth three times before mustering the courage to ask, "May I, Saya-san?"

Saya began to scowl, changed the expression it into a pensive frown, and abruptly gave an impatient nod. "Fine, but if you do something perverted..." She hefted the gun in punctuation.

Kohta let out a low, weak laugh, but was nonetheless somewhat wary as he paced around her, studying her form. He made any number of small adjustments to the way she stood – bending her knees a bit more, widening her stance by a few centimeters, touching her right elbow to tuck it in further. Then he stepped back, looking at her critically.

"What is it?"

"You're too tensed up." He moved into position behind her, lightly touching her upper part of her left arm. "You don't need to hold it in that tightly. Relax your arms a little. Your support hand should push the stock firmly into your shoulder, but the grip in your shooting hand can be loose. All you need to do with that hand is pull the trigger."

Her pink brows furrowed and her upper body stiffened, then relaxed. A little. She hadn't lowered the gun by the time she commanded curtly, "Show me. I don't know how you mean."

Kohta blinked rapidly, then swallowed, blood infusing his face as he realized what she was asking. "You're sure?"

"Yeah, just do it already. It's not like I can practice using real ammo, so if I'm going to get any better at shooting, you need to show me whatever you can. Just hearing about it only does so much."

"Okay." Kohta swallowed audibly, hesitating a moment longer, then let out in a rush, "Please excuse me, Saya-san!" as he stepped closely behind her, his arms circling around her own, hands overlapping hers where she held onto gun. "See?" he asked in a quavering murmur along her left cheek, "Hold it like this. Steady and firm, but not so tight that your arm gets tired." He wet his lips. "Did you even notice the recoil when you shot it before? Probably not, right? It's only a nine millimeter, so it isn't going to jump out of your hands or anything." His breathing quickened, and a moment passed in nervous silence, until he eventually asked, "Do you have a feel for it now?"

"Yeah."

"Great." Taking a deep breath, and with it, a bit more confidence, Kohta stayed where he was, pulling back the charging handle to cock the weapon's internal hammer. "Now, this is how you squeeze off a shot." His words were calmer, quieter, more sure of himself. "It's got a kind of heavy trigger weight, so use the crease behind your first knuckle. Gently squeeze it, don't pull it." The same sharp clack from before resounded in the room. "Now you give it a try." He racked the gun again, and a few seconds later, the quiet was cut by the snap of metal striking metal.

"Kohta?" Saya asked, her voice tight, as the echo of the dry-firing faded away.

"Yes, Saya-san?" he replied, somewhat dreamily.

"There's something pushing against my butt."

"It's the magazine. I put it in my pocket."

"Oh." A moment passed, and she said again, "...Kohta?"

"Yes, Saya-san?"

"If it's not, I'm going to turn around and smack you."

"It is. I promise."

Saya remained still for a long moment, then asked, "Is that all you wanted to show me?"

"Yes, Saya-san."

"Can you let go of me then?"

Snapping out of his daze, Kohta blurted, "Sorry! Right away!" He backed away rapidly, the blissful, contented smile he'd worn while embracing her now replaced by stark horror as he floated down back to earth.

Her back still to him, Saya quivered, seeming to radiate waves of anger and indignation, then spun around to face Kohta, the gun raised above her, held like a club. It was then that she spotted Takashi leaning against one wall of the entryway, and her face turned completely white with mortification. "Takashi!" she gasped in horror, "How long have you been standing there?!" Saya nearly dropped the weapon altogether, but Kohta managed to catch it on the way down.

Takashi grinned. "If I smoked, I'd probably want a cigarette right about now."

That made Saya blush a deep, deep red in sheer embarrassment, coloring her face all the way to the pink roots of her hair. Takashi couldn't help but laugh to see her so out of sorts, and though Kohta wisely didn't join in, he did share a conspiratorial smile with him.

"It –it was nothing like that!" she stammered, flinging out a hand to point at the MP5 now clutched to Kohta's. "He was just showing me how to shoot better! That's all!"

"Oh, don't worry, I know," Takashi conceded, showing open palms, before adding in a tone that barely held back his laughter, "Hirano, I might ask you to show me a thing or two about my shotgun later, but if you don't mind, I think I'll skip the full body course."

Kohta reddened further, but he was but a candle to Saya's bonfire. "Uhh, sure. No problem, Komuro." He shifted his weight nervously, giving Saya a sidelong glance, perhaps to assure himself that her former ire would no longer be channeled in his direction. "Right. The Benelli. You'll need some practice before you get everything down. Though it's semiautomatic, it'll be a little tricky at first, compared to the Ithaca. I can take your sight off too, if you like."

"Fine with me. It's useless, right? Might as well do Rei's too."

"Sure. When she decides to learn to use it as a rifle and not just as a spear, I can teach her, too."

"Anyway!" Saya interjected unsteadily, having finally gotten a hold over her emotions, "Takashi. Good that you're finally down. We should talk before dinner."

"Dinner?" Takashi ducked his head back through the entryway, smelling the air; a pleasant, savory scent filled his nostrils, and he wet his lips involuntarily. "Soon...?" he asked with a hopeful look, turning back to the Kohta and Saya and joining them as they sat down on the floor, within the ring of candlelight.

"Yeah," Kohta replied, wiping a bit of drool away with the back of his hand. "There was some food in the fridge that wasn't spoiled. Saeko's cooking."

He blinked. "The stove works? I thought the EMP would have shut down the gas lines or something."

"It did," Saya allowed. "We got lucky. The kitchen stove doesn't work, but Fatty here noticed a few propane tanks by the storage shed outside. Turns out there was a double burner squirreled away in there."

"Mmmm. Hot food..." Takashi reminisced, and Kohta joined him in his nostalgia, their stomachs rumbling in chorus at the shared memory.

Saya brought them out of their reverie with a sharp flick of her middle finger at Takashi's forehead and a hard yank on Kohta's ear; the latter looked quite painful, but Kohta seemed to enjoy it despite the pain. "Would you focus, please? There are things we should discuss."

"Yes," Takashi agreed, "like the fact that you've showered."

"I don't see how that's important," she said, her cheeks flushing a slight pink, though it was nothing compared to her former shade of crimson. "But if you must know, there's a balcony out from the master bedroom. The rain's heavy enough, if nowhere near warm enough. Saeko and I have already gone; Shizuka-sensei's taking her turn now."

"A hot meal _and_ a shower? It's like we're halfway back to civilization." That made Kohta grin, but Saya only rolled her eyes.

"Don't get sidetracked by creature comforts. There are _important_ matters we should talk about." She looked at Takashi, waiting expectantly for him to begin.

"Right. Sorry." He rubbed his chin, feeling a faint bit of stubble, as he thought the situation through. "Okay. How secure is this place? I didn't get a chance to look around outside yet."

Kohta grimaced. "Honestly, Komuro? Not very. There could be a hundred of 'them' out there, congregated on the other side of the walls, and this place doesn't offer much protection."

Saya nodded. "I checked for myself. The walls are strong enough I suppose, but the gates were meant to be decorative, not durable. Particularly the driveway gate. Even if we chained it shut, I wouldn't bet on the hinges lasting long if a dozen of 'them' start pushing from the other side."

"Right," Kohta agreed. "It might be a different story if we could put some weight behind it, maybe a parked car or something, but we don't have one."

"All right. So what you're saying is, if they get in past the gate, we're screwed?"

"That's it in a nutshell," Saya said, pursing her lips. "Oh, I forgot the kicker. The front door was forced open, so it won't lock from this side anymore. We had to barricade it with the furniture we found in here, but it would barely slow 'them' down if they came in force. The windows won't hold up either. I think we should leave the bridge out and ready, just in case."

Takashi sighed audibly, crossing his arms. "Yeah, okay. But it's not like we'd try fighting 'them' off from here anyway, so I don't think it'll matter too much. Not being noticed will be our main defense, at least for tonight. And we'll be gone in the morning."

Saya and Kohta both relaxed visibly, sharing a quick glance. "Good," Kohta said. "Sorry to force the point, Komuro, but trying to fort up here would be a pretty terrible idea."

"Definitely. But Miyamoto's okay with leaving tomorrow?" Saya asked, tilting her head. "She doesn't want to stay here, waiting for her parents or something?"

"Well, I'm sure she'd want to, but she understands that we can't. I talked it over with her. We leave after sunrise. And before I forget, don't be shy about taking anything you can use. She's fine with it."

Kohta perked up at the notion. "Great. I could do with a change of clothes, if her dad has some that might fit. A belt, too." Saya seemed skeptical about that, arching an eyebrow dubiously, but she left the remark alone.

"So, Hirano. Did you find any weapons? Guns, ammunition, anything?" Takashi asked.

He shook his head sadly in reply as he stroked the MP5 in his lap, as if it were a pet kitten. "Nothing. I mean, I didn't expect to hit the jackpot like at the mansionette, but I thought we might get a few speed loaders of .38, or a shotgun shell or two – _something_ we could use, but this place is completely dry, aside from your run of the mill household stuff."

"Does that surprise you?" Saya asked with a flat look. "You know how tightly guns are controlled in Japan. It's not uncommon for police officers to never handle a firearm other than their duty weapon, and even that's strictly regulated, down to keeping track of ammunition."

"Right, I know. I guess I shouldn't have gotten my hopes up. Anyway, we did find a display stand that probably held a pole arm, but it's gone."

"Yeah, a spear. Rei's dad practices soujutsu, so it's not surprising he had one around." Takashi glanced at the magazine of the MP5 poking out of Kohta's front pocket. "How are we on ammo? I left my pouch rig in Rei's room, but I had around thirty shells in it. And whatever we got at the station."

"Let's take inventory, then. Komuro, would you mind grabbing the Benelli and the M1A1 from upstairs? Bring your gun belt down, too." Takashi nodded in assent, rising and leaving the room while Kohta began emptying his backpack. He returned a few minutes later with the shoulder straps of his belt rig looped around his neck and a long gun in either hand, but slowed in the entryway as he took in everything that Kohta arranged on the floor.

In addition to the AR-10 and MP5 with their associated magazines, he had laid out the Luger P-08 that Saya's mother had given her, with its removable wooden stock and drum magazine, along with Saeko's Beretta and its two spare magazines. Takashi recognized one other handgun - a Smith and Wesson Model 37 Air Weight revolver, like the one that Rei had picked up off of the dead police officer – but there were a dozen others that he didn't recognize, all of which were semiautomatic, most being of slightly different size or design. Spare magazines were stacked next to a number of them, presumably compatible with the handgun they accompanied.

In stark contrast, the colored cardboard boxes containing ammunition were few and far between. There were several larger boxes, for rifle ammunition and shotgun shells, but the smaller boxes – the handgun rounds – were sparse, at least when compared to the impressive array of weapons.

"That is a _lot_ of firepower," Takashi confessed with no small amount of awe as he knelt before the display, adding his two guns and the belt harness into the mix. "Where did you put it all?"

Kohta gave a bashful half smile, scratching at his cheek as he answered with a simple, "In the backpack."

Saya seemed stunned by this revelation. "You're kidding. You've been carrying all of this on your back? Plus the gear we found at the mansionette, and what we took from the mall? All while holding that cannon you call a rifle?"

"Um, yes?"

"Fatty," she sighed, shaking her head, "sometimes I don't know if you're amazing, or amazingly stupid. Do we even have all of the types of ammunition that these use? Why are you even carrying so many? You're the only one who can use them competently, and any of us _did_ need to use them, they won't do us any good stuck in your backpack."

"I want to bring them with me," he insisted stubbornly, growing irritable. "I'm the one carrying them, so what's the big deal?"

She sighed, shaking her head as her eyes took in the spread of iron. "Look," she said, in a surprisingly gentle, patient tone. "Altogether, that backpack of yours probably weighs over thirty kilos. And that rifle is heavy, too. It's what, six or seven kilos? You're not exactly in the best shape, Kohta. How long do you think you'll last, lugging around that much weight, especially if you're going to add whatever else you find that's worth taking? If we had to run, would you even be able to keep up?"

Kohta scrunched up his face at that question, but said nothing. Takashi spoke into the silence. "Maybe it'd be a good idea to trim it down a bit, Hirano. Why bother carrying a gun around if we don't have the ammo for it? If it can't shoot, it's just a hunk of metal."

"We might end up finding some ammunition," Kohta protested weakly.

Saya sniffed at that, her voice sardonic. "For a handgun? Please. Handguns are banned to civilians, so chances are our only sources of handgun ammunition are the police and the military. We should leave any guns that don't use ammunition we could realistically find."

"But that just leaves NATO calibers! For handguns, we'd be limited to 9mm Luger, and maybe .38 Special or .357 Magnum, since the police use it..."

"Deal with it, you hoarder," Saya declared ruthlessly as she began to rummage through the boxes of ammunition, opening each one to view the number of cartridges remaining. "Give me a hand here, Fatty. We're doing this so you don't get left behind. Much good your gun collection will do you if you get eaten."

Takashi watched as a somewhat sadistic Saya, and an increasingly forlorn Kohta, sorted and segregated the ammunition, obtaining a final round count for each caliber. Then they matched up every firearm to its corresponding caliber, making neat rows of weapons beneath the stacks of cartridges.

For his part, Takashi only picked out the shotgun shells – four additional boxes of five shells each, bringing his count to around fifty shells, plus five in the shotgun's magazine tube. He was surprised to learn that Kohta's AR-10 'cannon', as Saya called it, was chambered in the same 7.62 NATO caliber as Rei's M1A1 Springfield, and that the Beretta, the Luger, and the MP5 all shared the same round – 9mm Luger. In addition, there were two more pistols in that column – an older looking model with wooden grips, and one of a more modern design that had two spare magazines, styled like the Beretta but without the Beretta's exposed barrel and with a smaller slide, scalloped at the end.

Not surprisingly, there were a few columns of weapons for which they had no ammunition, and the only two others that did – the M37 Air Weight revolver, and a shorter, compact weapon that Kohta called a Colt Officer's Model – had only a box and a half of rounds between them.

"Seriously?" Saya asked with a cocked eyebrow as she looked at the nine pistols that lacked any associated ammunition.

Kohta looked glum. "I really wanted to hang onto those."

"You'll thank me later." He made a noncommittal sound in reply.

"We can stash them here," Takashi offered. "If need be, we can come back for them." Kohta seemed to brighten at the prospect, gathering up the nine firearms they had chosen to leave behind.

"Stash this one, too." Saya's voice was restrained as she gently touched her mother's Luger P-08. "It's bulky, and we only have the one drum magazine. We're better off saving the ammo for the MP5, since that's quieter anyway."

"I don't mind carrying that one," Kohta said nonchalantly.

"But–" he interrupted her.

"It's fine. That one isn't heavy at all. It just looks like it because of the stock. Leaving the nine makes me light enough. I can keep up with the rest of you guys, no sweat."

"Okay." She bit her lip, then added in a small voice, "Thanks, Kohta."

"Don't mention it."

Takashi rose, dusting off his hands as he did. "All right. I think we're all set for now. We'll talk about our plan for tomorrow over dinner."

"Yeah, sounds good. Let us know when it's ready, Takashi." Saya turned her attention back to Kohta, looking him up and down with a critical eye. "Now, as for you. You're going to show me how to use _that_." She pointed at Kohta's AR-10.

He blinked, startled. "What? Why?"

"I've decided. We're switching again. You're our gun expert, so it makes more sense to give you the gun with the suppressor. We could get away with using it more often than that heavy cannon of yours. Now start teaching me."

Takashi left before Kohta could muster any protest, which would have invariably ended with Saya walking all over his arguments regardless of what he might say. He was glad that they seemed to be getting closer, in their own, slightly dysfunctional way; for a little while, Takashi had begun to think that Saya was interested in _him_, and that would've ended up horrendously complicated, as his hands were already quite full with Rei and Saeko. Thoughts of the latter led to thoughts of dinner, and convinced by the increasingly insistent growling from his stomach, he followed his nose to the source of the delicious smells in the air.

The kitchen was small, with a refrigerator in one corner and a stove in the other, divided by counter space and a metal sink. Saeko was barefoot and stood in front of the counter, her figure illuminated by pure white light from a fluorescent emergency lantern. She held a ladle contemplatively in one hand as she tended a pair of metal pots arranged atop a portable gas burner. As Saya had mentioned, she had recently bathed, and her indigo black hair was collected in a single ponytail high on her head that fell straight down her back to tickle the middle of her thighs. Takashi noticed that this time she wore a loose, black tank top beneath her light green apron – long enough that it fell past her hips. It was silly for him to hope for another 'naked apron' from Saeko, yet he couldn't help but feel a stab of disappointment, albeit a small one – she was still a very attractive young woman who was presently wearing very little, and the way stood displayed the toned lines of her legs to great advantage.

"Good evening, Takashi," Saeko said, inclining her head in greeting and curving her lips in a small, knowing smile, as if she had been reading his thoughts. "I hope you don't mind, but I borrowed one of your shirts."

"Not a problem." He looked away as he added, heat rising in his face, "It looks better on you, anyway."

"Ah. Thank you."

Takashi chanced a glance at her, and found her own cheeks tinged with pink. He cleared his throat. "I wanted to let you know – if you need spare clothes, Rei said that we can take whatever we like."

"A gracious offer. Is she well?" she asked tentatively.

Takashi nodded. "It's been an exhausting day for her. She's resting now, but I'll wake her when we're ready to eat. I think she should be okay after some food and a good night's sleep."

"I'm glad." Using a quilted square potholder to protect her hand, she lifted the lid that had resided inside one of the pots, stirring the contents. "It's just about ready. I hope you like nikujaga." At the rumbling reply of his stomach, she laughed – a soft, rich sound that, together with the wonderful aromas drifting from the pot, drew him steadily closer. She regarded him for a moment, eyes gleaming, a fine dark eyebrow arching speculatively. "Would you care for a taste?"

"God, yes." He licked his lips in anticipation.

Wearing that same, curved half-smile, Saeko reduced the heat on the burners and took a sampling dish from the counter, ladling out a bit of potato, along with some of the broth from the stew. She lifted the dish to her pink lips, blowing gently to cool it before stepping closer and offering it up to him; he accepted with a smile of thanks. As he tasted it, his eyes drifted closed in contented bliss, savoring the subtle yet satisfying flavors of the stew.

"Is it to your liking?" It was a simple, straightforward question, but nevertheless it caught him offguard, coming as a low, warm murmur from very, very near. Takashi was startled to find that she had crossed the distance between them, her entrancing blue eyes staring up at him from only a hand span away. Taken aback as he was, he nearly fumbled the dish, but her warm fingers closed over his own before it could fall free of his hands.

Takashi swallowed, if not without difficulty, his throat suddenly parched. "It's... delicious," he managed in an unsteady breath, and her half smile widened into one of pure pleasure, those dark eyes gleaming in the reflected light from the lantern.

"There's something I've been wondering," she mused, shifting her attention to their joined hands, relieving him of the dish and replacing it on the counter. She remained close, and though Takashi had allowed his hands to fall to his sides, she apparently had a different notion, beginning to lightly trace her fingertips over the front of his chest. "Which do you prefer?" she asked quietly, still not meeting his eyes, "Girls who are forward, or girls who are demure?"

Takashi considered his response for a long moment, trying to read her features despite her lowered gaze and the obscuring shadows cast by the lantern. Made bolder by her directness, he gathered his courage and gently cupped her chin with his right hand, tilting her face upward; he was surprised to find traces of hesitation and uncertainty lingering in her expression as she apprehensively awaited his reply.

"I think that both can be appealing," Takashi said at last, "but I think it's more exciting when forward girl acts demure, or when a demure girl is unusually forward."

The answer seemed to please her, the anxiety in her eyes fading away as that small, mysterious smile appeared again, softening her features. From so close, Takashi couldn't help but stare in fascination at her full, lovely mouth, and before he realized what he was doing, he was stroking her lower lip with the edge of his thumb, finding that it was every bit as soft and silken as he had imagined.

"Takashi?" she asked in a warm, lingering breath along the back of his hand.

"Yes...?"

The tip of her tongue slipped out, wetting her lips and just barely brushing the skin of his fingertip. "Would you care for a taste?" The invitation was not at all innocent, and the smoldering look of promise behind her eyes set Takashi's blood to a low boil.

"I shouldn't," he breathed, shaking his head as if to clear his mind. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have led you on." But his attention kept returning to her perfect, waiting mouth.

Her fingers slid up his chest and behind his neck, interlacing familiarly. His response was instinctive, moving his hands to hold her waist – to make sure that she didn't move suddenly closer, naturally. It certainly wasn't because the warmth of her body felt incredibly good beneath his palms, separated only by a thin layer of cotton. "You can lead me wherever you like," she purred with a shiver, apparently enjoying the touch as much as he did. "Don't you want to?"

"It isn't that. Rei–"

"–had you for nearly two hours," she interjected curtly, a predatory smile flickering across her countenance. "It's my turn now."

Takashi's cheeks heated, a deep blush infusing his face as he stammered, "It – it wasn't like that. Nothing happened. We... didn't _do_ anything."

"Do something with me."

"Saeko..."

A fingertip rested lightly on his lips, silencing him as she stared up through a curtain of dark hair and darker lashes. "You've seen the real me, Takashi. You said that you'd take responsibility, and accept me as I am. I'm relying on you to help me with my... appetites. Even if that means sharing you with Miyamoto."

"Something tells me she won't be so... accommodating."

Saeko chuckled richly. "That's for you two to work out." Her head tilted and she favored him with a small, sly smile. "It's only a kiss, Takashi. I know you've kissed her before."

He wet his lips. "All right. One kiss."

Takashi tasted her, and she was... exquisite.

End Chapter 4


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